Cartoon Network will have a huge hole to fill in its schedule after it was announced the upcoming season of Regular Show, one of the network’s longest running series, will be its last.
The announcement came two weeks before the Season 8 premiere in a joint statement from Regular Show creator JG Quintel and Cartoon Network. Quintel said the show is going out exactly how they want and that the final season will bring the series full circle.
We spoke with Quintel, who also voices Mordecai, about what he means by “full circle”, when he knew Regular Show was going to end and a bit about what fans should expect in Season 8.
Regular Show Season 8 will premiere on Cartoon Network, Monday Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT
The interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
How and when did you know that Season 8 of Regular Show would be its last?
“We started talking about it around Season 7 where we knew we were one of the longest running Cartoon Network shows and it’s inevitable for all TV shows to eventually end, that’s just a given. It was kind of more like figuring out the right way to end it, so it would end our way and properly. And that it didn’t just get cancelled and there will be no more episodes. We always intended for the show to have a beginning, middle and end so that the viewers will feel satisfied with the ending and not feel they were left hanging. So when we found out that Season 8 would possibly be the end, we set into motion these episodes that we wanted to happen so we can have our series end the way we wanted it to end. And that’s where we’re at now.”
How did the meeting with Cartoon Network go when you told them?
“It was fine. I think they knew that we did a lot of episodes and we feel like we explored a lot of territory with these characters. And, for sure, even in writers meetings we had to throw away a lot of episodes toward the end where we were like ‘No we did that. No we did something like that already. But if we start going in this direction we will have all these other cool stories.’ So we were cool with it, they [Cartoon Network] were cool with it and it was just a matter of how to make it work.”
So they didn’t try to convince to do more seasons? Two more seasons to get to 10!
“[Laughs] That would be amazing, that would be a lot. But I think they know shows have to end. New shows come in and that’s just the way it works. So it wasn’t like I was bummed out or I was like ‘oh mannnn’ but it’s just part of the business. I’ve been on other shows and they end but we had a crazy good run [on Regular Show ] and I’m really proud of it. I feel like the end of Season 8, when people get to see it, they will be very proud of it.”
Do you feel this was the right decision?
“I definitely feel it was the right time. I feel we definitely got to explore everything we wanted to explore without it running into the ground where ‘let’s just keep making them until they get really bad.’ I didn’t want it to turn into that. I really think these are a solid set of episodes of a series I’m really proud of and I don’t regret anything about it.”
Do you believe shows/series should end on their own terms in the future?
“I think it’s important I think it’s good to know that you are getting what you want out of it. And that you are making it your way, that you aren’t feeling like you have to, because if you are ever not enjoying it that’s when you should stop [laughs]. There’s something to be said about going out on a high note where you feel that you did good and that you didn’t slip and you say ‘we’re done!.’ That’s more than enough as opposed to just keep doing it. I mean, six years is a long time for me, anyway, that’s the longest thing I’ve ever worked on. And I definitely want to work on other things in the future and have a lot of different projects during my career. You just have to feel it out, if you’re like ‘that’s enough!’ then that’s good and try and make something else.”
You mentioned that during Season 7 you knew Season 8 would be the last. When you finally figured that out did it change your mindset on how you would tackle it?
“Yea, we kind of had these batch of episode ideas that were ready to start once we knew for sure [the end] was going to happen. In Season 7 the dome starts showing up, so that’s the first hint of [the end] and by the last ten episodes of Season 7 this dome is on the park so long that you almost forget about it, and then in the season finale we finally reveal what is up with the dome and it leaves us hanging on this big cliff hanger where they get blasted into space and no one knows why. And so Season 8 will explain everything.”
So when we start Season 8 the crew will be in space for at least the beginning of the season, can you go into how long they will be there?
“I can’t talk about any spoilers, but what I’m really excited about that is different from past seasons is that it will all be serialized. So it will be very important to watch all the episodes in order and see it because it’s going to be the big ending, to realize what’s going to happen with all of our characters as it ends.”
That’s a big deal that Season 8 will be serialized because in the past there have been threads throughout a season but they all have been one-shot episodes so Season 8 will just be a straight run?
“Yup. I mean we’ve done threads in the past like Mordecai and Margaret so there have been things that kind of track, but everything has always been stand-alone and they are still stand-alone but they connect so you want to see them back-to-back.”
In the Season 7 finale, the Park Crew is blasted into space but Eileen is actually there with them. What will her character bring to the others?
“I know! It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch. I mean Eileen, especially coming from the first time we see her way back and where she is now, has grown as a character and has become a part of the core cast. I feel that Eileen is one of our favorite characters, we really like her and she says a lot of funny stuff. And the fact that her and Rigby are dating now that was a long running kind of thread, too, in the beginning where Rigby wasn’t into her at all and there was this weird crush thing. And then there was nothing and then we kind of revealed they were dating [laughs].”
Yea it was like a second mention. “Oh by the way we’re dating!” [laughs]
“[Laughs] It doesn’t have to be that complicated!”
Well with Mordecai’s girl situation it’s good to see that it doesn’t have to be so difficult.
“Good! And I’m glad it was Rigby to deliver that [laughs].”
But going off that point. Season 7 saw Rigby getting his life together and Mordecai becoming directionless in his own life. It was sort of resolved in the finale but will that carry over into Season 8?
“Umm you’re going to have to see [laughs]. I’m so bad about spoilers. I want people to see it but I don’t want people to know. But it’s so much fun to come into it and be like ‘what’s going to happen?’”
How will you balance giving the big cast in Season 8 enough screentime and spotlight?
“We’re definitely going to have a lot of characters showcased in the season and have them work together. So it’ll be a good balance and we’re going to have some of our classic-type episodes as well. We’ll have another Halloween special and we’re going to do a Christmas special that’ll be very cool and then, yea, then a series finale. We’ve never done that before [laughs].”
When it was announced Season 8 would be the last you mentioned the series will come “full circle” can you elaborate on that?
“It’s definitely like, it will be all wrapped up. Where all your questions will be answered and you watched this complete thing, where you maybe didn’t even realize that it was happening. So it’s going to be cool to see how people react to it.”
There’s been larger themes in the past but will Season 8 have one overarching theme or will it be split up?
“There will definitely be an overarching theme that will be very clear once the episodes air. Once the episodes come up, people will know what’s going to happen and will see what happens as they unfold as they watch and see what happens [laughs]. But yes the whole season will track to the end and it will end a big theme.”
Is there a character viewers should be paying attention to in Season 8?
“Oh man, that’s tough….Pops.”
You’ve done the Regular Show Movie but would you do another animated movie? Maybe when Season 8 is done, a Regular Show the Movie 2?
“[laughs] I think if I ever did a movie again, the main takeaway I had from that process was ‘don’t do a movie and a tv show at the same time.’ It was just too much work. But if there was an opportunity to make just a movie only? I think that would be really fun to do something like that. I’m definitely still a fan of the short format, 11-minute, 22-minute long things. But i wouldn’t rule out a movie if the right project came along. But doing two at once? That was rough.”
What are your plans once the last episode is aired?
“Well, we still have a ways to go to wrap up the whole season. So right now I’m still pretty engaged in Regular Show and it’s taking up most of my time. But, I really like making TV and I love animation and I hope to make more animation in the future. I want to make another series, I hope to do something in primetime but we’ll see how it goes once Regular Show is over.”
Like a more mature/adult animated series?
“Yea! I think that would be very fun.”
What would you say to the fans of Regular Show?
“Man, just thank you for watching the show and supporting the show and just giving the show a chance. Because I know a lot of people probably saw it for face value and saw the image of it and were like ‘naaa i dont want to watch that’ because it looks too cartoony or something like that. But so many people watched it, and parents got into it and adults getting into it, it was so cool to hear about all the people it resonated with and that they liked it. It definitely fueled us, knowing that people out there were watching it, pushed us to make the episodes better for them. We worked really hard on Season 8 to close it out right for the fans so it feels like the proper send off for these characters. Everyone will get to say goodbye and feel good about it. Even though I know it’s sad [laughs].”
